


Whirlwind

by ephylia, nineofcupsnpc



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Blind Date, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Ex-Boyfriends, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 23:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17837834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephylia/pseuds/ephylia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nineofcupsnpc/pseuds/nineofcupsnpc
Summary: Zhengting had been certain he would be set up with the perfect man he'd been imagining himself to be with on the most anticipated day. Not in a million years was he expecting to see his ex-boyfriend sitting across from him as his chosen blind date. No. Freaking. Way.✧ ✧ ✧Prompt:#53: They went on a date back in high school and they ended up fighting. Now a few years later, they're set up on blind date with each other by their friends.





	Whirlwind

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot fanfiction story. I would like to thank @zhengzaizhang for being my beta-reader. It was my first time having a beta-reader and I have to say that despite our busy schedules, it was a nice experience to meet Wendy through this event. We hope you enjoy reading this story.

Zhengting was more excited than he'd like to admit. For the past week, he had been answering a barrage of 3am calls forced upon him by his over-eager friends. They inquired him about his romantic interests and desired sexual adventures. Random Instagram photos of men flooded their Kakaotalk group chat where Zhengting had to rank them in appearance from most to least attractive. They figured the more tests he did, the better the result would be.

Therefore, by the end of this exhausting week, Zhengting had been certain he would be set up with the perfect man he'd been imagining himself to be with on the most anticipated day. 

Granted—he prepared for his date. He shopped for new clothes. His purchases consisted of the essential tight latex pants that made his sexy thighs bulge out, one too many trendy floral Gucci shirts that showed off his riches, a chunky Louis Vuitton belt to emphasize his thin hips before finally, completing his mighty-fine look with a pair of patent black Louboutins (sharp at the tip and kinky). He also decided on wearing light makeup with matted lipstick in a warm burgundy color to accentuate his sultry lips. All in all, Zhengting's ultimate goal for the night was to make his date hot and bothered for him. 

*Let's make this date an unforgettable one.* He thinks.

There are ten minutes left before his presence is required at the agreed upon meeting: Trickster Night Bar. At the fresh age of 22, short flings just weren't his thing anymore. He had talked about it with his friends; about engaging in a much more committed relationship. He was ready for change.

No more Zhou Yanchen type of boyfriend where there's barely any emotional attachment involved, turned almost polygamous since his partner had other men to please besides him in bed. Nor a Bi Wenjun type of boyfriend where hooking up only happened during "convenient" times of in-between study breaks then not speaking to each other again right after. Nor the worst type of "boyfriend" consisting of nightly phone calls from drunk Wang Ziyi demanding for sex in the back of Zhengting's car (then forgetting about it the next day because Ziyi had a reputation to keep as Captain of the basketball team while also publicly dating popular music major Cai Xukun). Whew. Fuck all the dramas from his life.

No more. Absolutely no more of him being their second choice, their rebound, and disgustingly, their sex toy. He wants cute, fluff and cliché romances. He wants to be held, cuddled and respected. He wants everything that he has never had before in the blur of his 18 to 22 years old of relationships.

It was as if the person from above heard all his prayers because the next thing you know—a strong scent of Rosemary and Mint is tickling Zhengting's nose, which made him involuntarily shiver. 

"The fuck are you doing here?"

God. Why?

When Zhengting was hoping for a different kind of boyfriend that is far from Zhou Yanchen, Bi Wenjun and Wang Ziyi as exemplars, he was not referring to his OTHER ex- and first ever boyfriend, aka; the freshly College graduate with a bachelor's degree in Criminology, Lin Yanjun sitting right across from him with a v-neck suit that presented such delicious-looking chocolate collarbones.

Correction: give him a relationship that he has never experienced in his 16 to 22 years of age.

Zhengting resents himself from gawking. And it takes him a few seconds to lift his eyes away from the delectable view before directing himself into those once familiar hazel-brown eyes. "No way," he mouths. "You're the person interested in French bulldogs and the occasional heavy bondage in bed, growing no beard—not even a designer stubble, and is strapped in a suit most of the day? Mr.Right, who Minghao and Chengcheng claim is the perfect guy for me?" A scoff escaped his throat. "They have got to be kidding me."

"And you're supposedly the sexy cutie with a whipping and choker fetish who owns two adorable puppies?" Yanjun peers. "My Perfect Guy?"

Slumping against his seat, Zhengting fails to care that he looks absolutely graceless in front of his date right now. "This was not how I imagined this would go." He placed his hands over his face and groaned. "I can't believe that after all those series of tests, they went ahead and picked you."

Yanjun takes offense at the display of behaviour and scowls deeper. "I went on this date to meet the puppies." He clicked his tongue. "You aren't exactly my idea of ideal date either."

Zhengting's eye twitched. "Asshat," he mutters. "This is a night bar. Why would I bring my precious Wubaiwan and Fuli inside this filthy place? They're safe and sleeping soundly on my bed. And you of all people are not permitted to even get a glimpse of my babies."

"With the way you're dressed," looking him up and down, Yanjun mocks, "your pups would've been better company. You know, not everyone out here is looking to buy you or anyone for sex."

Slamming his hands against the table with enough force that several pieces of cutlery were knocked down onto the floor, Zhengting glares at the man he hasn't talked to in years, and he glared hard. "That's real rich coming from you," he spats. "If I remember correctly I wasn't the one who got caught cheating five years ago. So don't you dare label me as some cheap whore, Lin Yanjun."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I did not get into someone else's pants!" Yanjun yells back with clenched fists and a challenged stare down. "You assumed it like that because you never trusted me as your boyfriend. I'm not the asshole you try so hard to paint me to be. I loved you in the most sincere and loyal way I ever could. But you choose to deny it every single  _ fucking _  time."

He feels his heart sink and belly churn. "No," Zhengting says while shaking his head. "We are not doing this. You are not allowed to spout such blatant lies. This—this meeting should have never happened."

Zhengting abruptly stands up, nearly knocking his chair back. 

But Yanjun was quick to make him pause. "What," the Taiwanese taunts. "Running away again, 'Ting? Because we both know that's the only thing you're good at."

Without being able to hold them back, tears welled up at the corner of his eyes. And for a moment, Yanjun's stare quivered in guilt. "I—" Zhengting breathed. "I  **_loved_ ** you."

He turns his heels and is out of the bar without even a glance back. Yanjun doesn't call out to him; doesn't even try to stop him. Momentarily, he realizes that he forgot to grab his coat from his seat but is too afraid of bumping into Yanjun to go back inside.

He figures neither Yanjun nor the coat was worth the care, so he keeps on walking.

It was better this way.

He didn't want to create anymore scene and open old wounds. 

They were over. And so, anything that they say to each other should mean nothing.

Yet why won't his heart stop  **pounding** .

 

* * *

 

Zhengting stokes his puppies that were both curled to his side. He was trapped in deep thought while lying down on his mattress. The silence was interrupted when his phone began to vibrate with numerous notifications. He opens them to see enthusiastic messages from both Minghao and Chengcheng.

_ How's the date? _

_ Do you like him? _

It doesn't take him much time to reply. The response flowed out of his fingers in a fluid motion.

**Honestly? He's the worst. But thanks for trying** .

_ Oh...We're sorry. _

Turning his mobile device off, he fluffs out his pillow and tucks his body underneath the blankets to go to sleep.

*I loved you in the most sincere and loyal way I ever could.*

The words echo in his head and they're all it takes to keep Zhengting awake for the whole night.

 

* * *

 

Several knocks came at his door in the following afternoon. Zhengting wasn't expecting any visitors during this time so he had opened the door warily. His eye sockets popped out as he stares at Yanjun holding up a coat towards him. "You forgot this." He says it like it's the most normal thing for him to say. And Zhengting had to take a step back to regain his balance. 

"How did you know I live here?" he frowns.

"I texted the people who set me up as your date and told them I had to return this." The Taiwanese arched a brow. "They seemed upset with me. How much did you tell them?"

Zhengting snatched the coat and hugged it tightly into his chest. "I didn't say much." He continues with, "They don't even know about our past."

Taking his words for the truth, Yanjun shortly nods. "There's not much to tell." 

After a minute of awkwardly staring at each other, the older man asks, "Aren't you going to invite me inside?"

The upside-down smile appears more prominent than before. "Should I?"

"I went all this way to give you back your coat," Yanjun reasons. "And I missed the chance to buy myself lunch. Can't you have the courtesy of thanking me by offering me your refrigerator?"

Zhengting shifted his body weight to his left side, suddenly feeling nervous. "Are you asking me or demanding me?" he retorts.

Yanjun sighs in defeat. "I meant to say that kindly. I'll try harder, 'Ting. Please."

He feels unwanted warmth surround his stomach at how defeated the lad sounded.  

"You know I really want to punch that handsome face of yours right now," he admits.

Finally, Yanjun's mouth breaks out into a grin. A one he has not seen in a very long time. "So you still find me handsome?"

Refusing to reply, and to fall for the bait, Zhengting instead walks away from the door that is still wide open to head to the kitchen. "I only have left-over pizzas. Don't be picky. I'll microwave two."

"Make that three," the lad calls from behind while shutting the door close. "My last meal was from this morning at nine o'clock I think."

Shaking his head, he places three pieces on a plate before slipping them inside the microwave. "You're hopeless."

 

* * *

 

"The real reason I came here though was to apologize," Yanjun says after Zhengting got himself seated across from him.

That was definitely something Zhengting did not expect to hear from the other lad.

He picked up a piece of the Hawaiian pizza and took a bite. "Yeah, well, what you said last night was really uncool."

"I got caught up in the moment of wanting to piss you off," Yanjun confesses. "We didn't exactly leave off in great terms. Also, you looked breathtaking. If I had not been the one sitting on the other side of the table, someone else would have gawked at your appearance. Imagining it was vexing."

"Don't start," he warns, feeling uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

"I'm not starting anything," the Taiwanese reaffirms. "I'm continuing where we left off."

Zhengting does not like the inkling idea of where this conversation is heading to. He frowns. "Where did we leave off?"

After finishing off his second piece, Yanjun says, "If you're talking about last night, we left off with you walking out on me not even ten minutes into our date. But if you're talking about five years ago, we left off with you getting a new phone number so I couldn't contact you anymore."

"That makes me sound petty," he grunts.

"You are and forever will be petty, 'Ting."

"To you."

"To me."

Chuckling, Zhengting adds, "Should I even be surprised that you remember such fine details? You are someone interning at a local police department. I bet this comes with the job."

"Remembering official protocols? Hell yeah. But how is me being a supposed bad boyfrien — " 

"Ex-boyfriend," Zhengting interjects.

Yanjun purses his lips. "Ex-boyfriend — and me being a police intern related in any way?"

"You've grown."

Yanjun chokes. Before he could say anything however, Zhengting kicks his leg from under the table. "Don't be green minded. I was talking about your height."

The Taiwanese laughs. "Yes, I have grown. Four inches taller since we last saw each other."

"I know," Zhengting mutters grimly in tone. "Chaoze keeps me updated."

"Ah. Mutual friends. I see your occasional posts." Yanjun reveals. "He likes to click the 'like' button and retweet them daily on Twitter."

"Same goes for your posts. How do you think I know you graduated with a bachelor's degree in Criminology?"

"From our past talks?" Yanjun leans forward. "I did tell you once that I wanted to become a police officer."

"Yes, but people change." Zhengting willed his voice not to crack. "Dreams change. You don't see me wearing a lab coat while running around with beakers in hand."

Perturbed at hearing such bold statements, Yanjun slaps a hand over his forehead in exasperation. "'Ting, you don't and should never run with sizzling chemicals in your hands. You can get into serious trouble. And what makes you think that I imagined you getting into some prestigious College for Science? I've seen your marks in Chemistry and Math. They were terrible. A white lab coat wouldn't have suited you anyway. They would have just hid all your charming points."

Instead of feeling flattered, all he felt was annoyance. "Yet you found a way to cheat on me? Were my charming points zero back then?"

Yanjun shoots him a hard look.  **"I never cheated on you."**

And now they were back to zero.

Zhengting's patience breaks.

"Screw this," he curses as he stood up hastily. This time the chair did topple over which made a loud  _ thud _ of noise that had Yanjun flinching. "I shouldn't have invited you in nor continued to talk to you," he says with clenched fists. "Honestly, Yanjun, we were over. It was better when you and I went to different Colleges, minding each other's business." He runs a hand over his hair while attempting to control his sudden erratic breathing. "For once, I actually thought I would meet someone who would date me seriously. But of all people to turn up last night, it was you; a failed love that I just want to wholly forget. Why did you come here? Why did you have to make a stupid excuse to see me again? Stop trying to open old wounds!"

Yanjun let him say his part. He didn't interrupt. Rather, he listened to everything Zhengting had to say and had been prepared to take in all the frustrations that were thrown his way. But once Zhengting was finished. Staring at him with glassy eyes and trembling lips which was at the edge of letting out a painful sob—then did Yanjun speak. "I was sleeping," he begins.

Zhengting threw him the nastiest glare before attempting to walk past him as if he had enough of Yanjun's bullshit. However, unlike the event from last night, Yanjun stopped him by grabbing his wrist. "Please. Listen to everything first." He begs. "After you do, then fine, you can decide whether you want to kick me out of here or let me embrace you in peace."

Immediately, Zhengting shook the grip off of his forearm as if his touch burned. The younger man remained in the dining room, however, which surprised the both of them. Because it meant that Zhengting was finally not running or walking away in response. 

"I was sleeping," Yanjun begins to explain again. "In bed, yes, and with a girl. But I didn't know who she was. Those bastards I once called my friends set me up. They made it look like I slept with her. They were jealous that I was excelling in school, that I was given a scholarship, and that I had you. I lost everything when you believed the lies they spread and left me the very next day. You didn't even let me explain. How was it fair to me? I never meant to hurt you. And honest to God 'Ting, but you hurt me, too. I never fooled around when I was with you. I never even looked at anyone else besides you. Yet all it took was one misunderstanding for you to leave me."

It takes a few minutes for Zhengting to process everything his ex-boyfriend just said.

Everything confused him. His memories of the past have been long blurred. The details were difficult to make out, and as much as he doesn't want to admit it, he knows that his mind made the event more dramatic. Past is past. He had been young and naive. But he was so hurt, and maybe a little irrational for making his mom transfer him to another school right after the incident occurred. Yanjun had been very handsome and popular in high school. While he had been immensely insecure of his lanky body as he had yet to hit the peak of puberty. 

Given—it was hard to believe that someone like Yanjun honestly loved him in the same way he felt towards the "better" lad.

"Is that what happened?" he questions which sounds dumb.

Yanjun gapes at him. "God, how did you remember it happen?"

"I don't even know," Zhengting pouts. "We were young. You were my first love. I was sensitive of everything about you."

"So you thought I cheated on you in the worst possible way?"

"Yes, like in those melodramatic movies about people having love affairs," groaned Zhengting while slapping a hand over his face. "I felt so horrible to be on the receiving end."

Yanjun simply laughs. "Which is why you moved schools then met my cousin Chaoze who linked us back together again albeit through social media."

"Quite a small world if you ask me."

"Yeah," sighed Yanjun in content.

They let the following silence settle in.

However, this one is less suffocating than the one before.

"So what now?" Zhengting asks, fidgeting in his spot.

Yanjun took a step forward. "I never forgot you, 'Ting. I told myself I had moved on from you. But after seeing you again in person after so long, my heart hasn't stopped hammering since." There's a short pause before he is deliberately exposing himself and his true feelings. "I still love you."

"I'm petty," Zhengting smirks in an attempt to appear cool. The tint shade of red colouring his cheeks was betraying him though. "Are you sure you want to get back together with me?"

"I love your pettiness," Yanjun says as he takes another step forward. "In fact, I think I'm the only person in the world who can tolerate it."

Zhengting stuck his tongue out. "What makes you think I want to get back together with you though?"

Yanjun leans in with their lips hovering very close to one another. He then shrugged his shoulders with a wide grin on face. "Just a hunch."

It was Zhengting who closed the gap. 

 

* * *

 

Omake

_ Ring ring _

"Hello?" Zhengting picks up, sounding very lazy. The fingers twirling his hair curls felt awfully nice and all he wanted to do was take a nap on Yanjun's comfortable lap in the midst of being  _ petted _ .

"196 IQYI Bar," the person on the other side of the call moaned. "I need you so bad, Zheng~" It's Wang Ziyi. He realizes. *Fuck.* He chews on his lip to prevent himself from cursing out loud.

"I'm—not available anymore," he tries to explain. 

Ziyi scowls almost instantly; not liking what he's hearing from Zhengting. "To hell with that," Ziyi says in irritation. "Just get over here so I can pound that ass of yours. It's been two weeks. I need that ass."

"I'm not available anymore," Zhengting states once again, much more firmly and without reluctance in his voice this time. "Ever."

"C'mon, Zheng! What's the big—"

Yanjun who had been quietly from the sidelines finally decided to step in by snatching the phone from Zhengting's hand. "He told you to fuck off, Pal. Stop trying to hit on him. You are never laying your dirty hands on him again. Do you hear me? Because I swear to god, I will crush your balls so hard you can never come again from whatever size dick you have if you contact him for this shit business of yours one more time. You understand, asshole?"

Silence follows. 

Until Ziyi is snapping at the phone in anger. "And who the fuck are you?"

**"I'm the Boyfriend, motherfucker."**


End file.
